Time Holders: The World of Balance

Chapter 21: Impossible.

"I’m so sorry, Aldrus... I’m sorry!" Echoing through the darkness, the blond boy’s voice pierced the gloom like a plunge into ice water.

This is a joke, right? It has to be... Aldrus went quiet, paralyzed by shock. Just moments ago, he had been clumsily struggling in a game of capture the flag. Yet somehow, he was now trapped in a situation so different that it felt as though he was dreaming.

The sudden realization of the nightmare he was in swiftly chased the pain of his beaten body away. Such trivial agony couldn’t compete against his desperate attempt to find an answer; a solution. Anything.

*Clank* The metallic click of chains whipping back and forth in the darkness was the only thing he could rely on to ensure he wasn’t just having a bad dream.

Shit... Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit! How??! He gritted his teeth. How in the hell did this happen?! We were supposed to be safe, damn it! Sir Zorum, Miss Leona... Where are you?!

"Stop... Stop, Aldrus," Alice’s melodic voice whispered. "If you keep making that noise..."

Aldrus grew somber. "...Alice, explain."

The girl remained silent for a moment, then spoke. "I... I don’t know. We were preparing to attack Team Red. We caught one of them roaming around the area, so Aiden and I managed to capture him. We asked him about the location of their camp and headed there..."

"And?"

"T-Then we found you, unconscious on the ground. We thought you were about to be captured by them, so we approached to help, but..."

Fools... We weren’t even on the same team!

"But as soon as we tried, they appeared." Alice seemed reluctant to say more, at least for now. He didn’t plan on forcing her, but there were still crucial matters to discuss.

"Alice... Where’s Aiden?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"I-I don’t know... They ambushed us out of nowhere. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t do anything... I cou—"

"That’s enough. It wasn’t your fault," he cut her off, his tone sharp. "Get a hold of yourself. We need to think about how to get out of here first." He was being harsh, but this was no time to fool around. As far as he knew, their lives hung by a thread.

"Cedric," he called into the darkness. "Stop whining. Please, talk to me. What happened?"

The blond boy hesitated before speaking through tears Aldrus couldn’t see. "I’m sorry... hic... I-I was with them from the beginning. B-But I didn’t mean to! I swear to God! Please, listen to me, please!"

"It doesn’t matter right now. Calm down. Tell me everything."

"I... T-The day Miss Leona instructed us to get ready, we began our preparations like everyone else. However, late that night, m-my younger brother was nowhere to be seen. He was supposed to arrive at our dormitory after packing some of the supplies Sir Zorum handed us... B-But he never did."

Cedric swallowed, "I went out to look for him, but he wasn’t there. So I asked Miss Leona if she saw him, and she said he headed to the bathroom, so I followed. It was then that I met a man. He seemed to be expecting me there..."

"In the cabin’s restroom?!"

"Y-Yes... I got knocked out, and woke up tied to a tree deep in the woods. My brother was there... b-beaten to a pulp, aggh..."

"Don’t lie to me, damn it! That’s impossible! How could anyone get near the cabin without Sir Zorum noticing?! He’s a third-rank Holder!"

"I-I’m not lying! I swear! I-I don’t know what they did or how, but please, listen to me!" Cedric shouted in despair, his voice cracking. "I was ordered to play along and capture anyone who dared to approach our camp... A-At first I didn’t know what they intended.

"I just wanted to free my brother and tell the instructors... But they threatened to kill him right there if I said a word. O-Of course I didn’t want to do what they said! But... even if I could somehow contact Sir Zorum in an instant, they could’ve killed Ren faster... I had no choice, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Aldrus, I lied to you... I’m so sorry!"

Aldrus didn’t respond. His mind was a total mess. But as he weighed Cedric’s words, something about them made perfect, terrifying sense.

If he really isn’t lying, then we’re in serious trouble.

For starters, neither he nor his classmates were particularly skilled fighters. Even so, the way Cedric had acted during their match was baffling, to say the least. He had been arrogant, hasty, and careless. Even for the prickliest idiots, losing your head in a fight and wasting all your Perspective was a mistake they wouldn’t make.

Knowing now the reason for his reckless behavior, it made a lot more sense. Besides, it was true that even for a third-rank, arriving at an unknown location in the blink of an eye and rescuing someone whose neck was inches away from a deadly blade without prior context wasn’t possible. If anything, Cedric had chosen wisely... at least in regards to prioritizing his family over dozens of youths, which Aldrus couldn’t blame him for.

However, that wasn’t enough of an answer. They still didn’t know if something had happened to the others, or where Aiden was.

And the most concerning thing... How had these people entered the cabin? No, how did they even manage to enter the forest at all without being noticed? Not only Miss Leona, but Sir Zorum was there as well. The mere idea of attempting such a thing was enough to give anyone the chills, yet they had not only gone and done it, but they had seemingly planned everything beforehand.

What’s their objective? Why kidnap students from Rowy’s Academy of all places? What’s going to happen to us now? All these questions didn’t help at all; Aldrus was on the verge of screaming his lungs out in frustration.

He pulled against the chains once again, ignoring Alice’s warnings. He strained with all his might, but it was futile. Even with [Motion] enhancing both his speed and strength, the shackles binding his body upright didn’t falter.

No, that wasn’t right. Every time he used his Perspective, his mind grew exhausted, as if his power were being drained dry by something. It wasn’t that his abilities weren’t enough; they simply vanished the moment he used them.

As he struggled to keep his focus, Aldrus couldn’t help but think about Sornel’s words: "I think you’re something special, Aldrus."

"Haahhh... Hahhhh... Yeah? Look at me now, idiot," he grunted under his breath. Where are you, Sornel? Loyu, Oriel, Seris? Aiden... Please just be okay...

...

Eh?

...’Where are you?’

Aldrus paled.

"N-No..."

He hadn’t thought about it earlier.

He just realized.

His terrible, terrible mistake.